A rainbow for Puerto Rico

The same nature that gives us life’s colors can devastate us. María has made this clear. We are all linked to nature’s cycles whether we realize this or not.

Daylight saving time makes a difference when your body is tuned to a different time zone. I wake up an hour earlier and experience the sunrise. Pink and purple hues pierce through the darkness to reveal the day. On Sunday, I began the week admiring a rainbow that became visible with the first rays of light.

I took it as a gift, a reminder to remain alert to the beauty that surrounds me, while reporting on the destruction caused by the wrath of María’s rain and winds.

I returned to Puerto Rico to interview its people and to document their experiences. As I do this, I instinctively feel that our story is inseparable from our geography. Oceans, mountains, wetlands, forests, every minute ecosystem persisting in this diverse archipelago is crucial to Puerto Rico's recovery — not just the electric lines, not just our businesses.

Every aspect of society is more likely to blossom if we keep our attention on the land, the air, the water and the resources that sustain our industries and economy. And the main element in rebuilding our infrastructure has to do with taking care of Puerto Rico’s people.

The hurricane littered our streets with debris and flooded families with torrents of sadness. Most residents have seen loved ones leave for the mainland and some have had to bury them or cremate them. While government officials report that the hurricane killed 55 people, an investigation by CNN revealed this week that the number is at least 499.

Reporters John D. Sutter, Leyla Santiago and Khushbu Shah surveyed 112 Puerto Rican funeral homes, about half of the island’s total, and spoke with family members who say that had it not been for the storm, their loved ones would still be alive. The report quoted statistics from Puerto Rico’s Demographic Registry, showing that 472 more people died in September 2017 than in the same month in 2016.

This clarification to the death count, even if it is never recognized by local authorities, is more representative of the level of pain and devastation that Puerto Ricans have endured. It is a better illustration of how this storm has tested the strength of those who live in this U.S. territory. There are more people mourning in this archipelago than the official numbers reveal, and that matters.

It matters in the way people make decisions, it preys on people’s mental health, and it has an impact on the way people celebrate the holidays. An editor at The Los Angeles Times recently asked me to interview residents about what they are most thankful for this year. Most people I interviewed said they were grateful for life itself.

I agree and to say it a little different: Today, I am thankful for people. And to honor those who are part of the 499 who have died since María hit land, I share the image of this rainbow at sunrise. It is for those who didn’t live to see it.